Praise! Your! Fandoms! Get others interested!

[crantz]

Hey, everyone! It's Praise Your Fandom time!

Get people into your canon! Tell them what's awesome about it!

Tell them where to find it!

Tell them ALL ABOUT IT!

Please use this format:

<b>Fandom/Canon Name:</b>
<b>What's awesome about it:</b>
<b>Where to find:</b>


Thank you and have a great yuletide!


(ALSO: Please feel free to ask for specific recs too! Like post a thread going 'hey I'm looking for canons with bisexual leads' or something!)

Comments

Re: 5 minute fandoms?

[scioscribe]

That's what I'm thinking! I'll probably pull out a couple as samples for prompts, but I'd love to see a story for any of them--whatever strikes the writer's fancy. They're like tiny Magrittes!

It's a fun game, and it's extremely easy to learn the rules. It works best with a group of people who all know each other at least a little, in my experience (mostly so you can occasionally use in-jokes as card descriptions), but I've always had a lot of fun with it.

[skazka]

Canon name: Dark City (1998)

What's awesome about it: An urban labyrinth where the streets are always dark with something more than night, the citizens are both haunted and oblivious, and the pervasive corruption of your heartless mechanized urban existence goes a little further than your average crime drama. A glamorous chanteuse informs her husband's psychiatrist of the man's recent disappearance. A haunted amnesiac flees the scene of a crime and discovers what he's capable of in a pinch. A police inspector hunts down his man, at the same time as someone altogether different and altogether worse is also on the hunt. Jennifer Connelly! Rufus Sewell! Kiefer Sutherland! William Hurt! Spiral imagery! Automats! Bald people!

This movie is a super-90s, super-fabulous SF homage to film noir and German Expressionism, chock-full of atmosphere, paranoia, stylish visuals, and big questions about identity and independence, plus blond Kiefer Sutherland in a bathhouse of angst good-looking people in period dress. It touches on a lot of good, good angsty content (as well as the potential for more serious worldbuilding) but really it's long on atmosphere and vibe.

For spoilery incentives, run the following text through ROT13: gurer'f nyfb PBBY NAQEBTLABHF UVIR ZVAQ NYVRAF srng. Evpuneq B'Oevra, pnaba zvaq pbageby naq cflpubybtvpny gvaxrevat, ernyvgl-jnecvat fhcrecbjref, n irel crphyvne zragbe eryngvbafuvc snpvyvgngrq ol cuyrobgvahz-snpvyvgngrq vzcynagrq zrzbevrf, fhcre-90f fcrpvny rssrpgf, n punenpgre punfvat nsgre n gentvpnyyl ubcryrff ivfvba bs unccvarff… lrnu, tbbq fuvg. Gurer'f z/z naq s/z fuvc cbgragvny vs lbh'er abg nqirefr gb n yvggyr fperjl FS-abve vqragvgl gebhoyr, naq nyfb cbgragvny sbe sha krab jvgu gur fxvafhvg-jrnevat rkgengreerfgevny nagntbavfgf, gur Fgenatref.

There are two cuts of this movie -- one, the theatrical cut that wears its major twist on its sleeve starting with the opening narration, and a director's cut with some extended scenes and no spoilery opening monologue. If you're watching the theatrical cut (the version that was streaming on Hulu until very recently) you can mute the audio for the first few minutes until a close-up on a pocketwatch occurs and figure out the mystery angle yourself. (Then go back and watch it when you're done, if you feel like it.)

Content notes: violence toward sex workers, unreality, manipulation, psychological horror, massive needles, offscreen torture, brainwashing/mind manipulation, "go-mad-from-the-revelation"-type content, suicide.

Where to find: Until recently this movie was on Hulu, but they took it off just in time for Yuletide, I guess. It's available to rent and watch on a lot of other platforms as well as in shadier ways, but I can't seem to find it streaming.

[isis]

I loved the first game. The second, not so much, and I never finished it. But the third sounds intriguing!

The Defiant Ones (1958 movie)

[abstractconcept]

Fandom/Canon Name: The Defiant Ones

What's awesome about it: (With apologies to those that follow ALL the yuletide and are seeing me rec this all over.) Welp, Imma copy/paste most of my insane journal review from just after I saw it:

I am going to warn you straight away that it deals with fairly nasty racial issues, and handles them imperfectly. But I was surprised, too. There were a couple of times when it discussed things I did not even realize people were aware of in 1958. It was a little heavy handed with some stuff, but still managed to deal with it with a bit of nuance that I didn't expect. But there was some gross stuff too, and hell, it's definitely a product of its times. (This was prior to the big civil rights movement, keep in mind.)

The Defiant Ones starred Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis. Now, you already know this is an excellent movie, because it stars Poitier. You are not going to get a bad movie out of Sidney Poitier. He could make a movie all by himself, playing all roles, and it would be a good movie. Come to think of it, that would be the best movie ever. But I digress!

The physical acting in this was so good it literally made me gasp in a few places. I actually had to stop and watch some scenes several times, because whatever the hell they were actually saying, their bodies were telling a story that completely distracted me from the words. And frankly, young Tony Curtis was awfully hot, and perfect for the role of the brooding, sulky, yet handsome jerk. He's good in a black and white movie, with those gorgeous clear eyes.

Anyway, the point is, Poitier and Curtis have UNDENIABLE SEXUAL CHEMISTRY. From the very first scene together, they sizzle. You can tell me they never actually had sex, and I will believe you, because the UST is so thick you could cut it with a knife--but there is NOTHING you can say to make me believe they didn't WANT to. My god, I have NEVER seen two people with more chemistry. There is tenderness, there is fierceness, there is intimacy.

Also, a slasher must have written this film. Seriously, you could not have come up with this unless you wrote slash fanfic, somewhere in your secret, pre-1958 world. You want to know the basis of the plot? Two escaped prisoners, one white and one black, are shackled together and must co-operate in order to survive. Yes, this leads to everything you would expect. Fighting, deep discussion, harrowing moments where they save each others' lives, moments where THEY FALL ASLEEP IN EACH OTHER'S ARMS, OMG, hurt/comfort, a gradual understanding and deepening love, everything you could possibly want from a ship. You want a pic? Fuck right, I'm giving you pics.

(I hope I did that right. It's . . . been awhile since I've htmled.)
I just--people, I can't even. I have never seen a movie that ignited such a fierce shippers' passion and me. I fully believe I will never see another movie this blatantly, wonderfully, romantically, beautifully shippy. My only complaints were the fight scene--not especially well done--the Billy moment, just because it was so gross, racially, and the over-the-top THAT HORRIBLE WOMAN IS TRYING TO COME BETWEEN US moment. But I have to admit, I didn't mind that bit all that much, because that bit was almost like a prescient homage to slashfic. It was such an amusing thing that I couldn't do more than roll my eyes.

And I am not going to spoil the ending, but the ending is amazing and shippy.

IN CONCLUSION; SIDNEY POITIER AND TONY CURTIS--THEIR LOVE IS FUCKING EPIC. (Sorry if this is super long. I had a lot of feelings to share.)

Where to find: You can rent it for $3 at Amazon.

[isis]

Fandom/Canon Name: Plus One by Elizabeth Fama (book, link goes to Goodreads)

What's awesome about it: Dystopian YA - wait, don't backbutton! It's surprisingly enjoyable and novel for dystopian YA, set in an alternate future in which the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 led to the need for split-shift staffing of hospitals, a day set and a night set of doctors and nurses, which in turn proved so efficient that the division between day workers and night workers was expanded to all parts of life, formalized and codified and enforced by law. But as daylight living is more natural and presumably more enjoyable, gradually the night people (Smudges) became stereotyped as stupid, undesirable, lesser than the day people (Rays) - and it took me until about 3/4 through the book to realize this was a civil rights allegory. And yes, people are secretly organizing to fight the power.

Here's the Goodreads blurb: Sol Le Coeur is a Smudge--a night dweller in an America rigidly divided between people who wake, live, and work during the hours of darkness and those known as Rays, who live and work during daylight. Impulsive, passionate, and brave, Sol concocts a plan to kidnap her newborn niece--a Ray--in order to bring the baby to visit her dying grandfather. Sol's violation of the day/night curfew is already a serious crime, but when her kidnap attempt goes awry, she stumbles on a government conspiracy to manipulate the Smudge population. Sol escapes the authorities with an unexpected ally: a Ray who gets in her way, a boy she might have hated if fate hadn't forced them on the run together--a boy the world now tells her she can't love.

Yes, there is some suspension of disbelief required, but no more than, say, teenagers fighting to the death broadcast on television, or a society discarding all but a hundred selected novels, songs, and films. And what makes this an actually good book is that the plot is legitimately interesting and complex, and goes in unexpected (but foreshadowed) ways. There is a (het) romance, which is somewhat cutesy and predictable, but at least it's not a love triangle - and, speaking of YA tropes, though this is in first person it is in PAST TENSE THANK GOD.

I liked the ending, which is not pat or universally happy, and which leaves a lot of things open-ended for a sequel (or for fanfiction). There is also an enemies-to-friends arc between Sol and Gigi that is very femslashable, and a brother-and-sister rocky relationship between Sol and Ciel.

Where to find: Wherever you obtain books - libraries, bookstores, or online. There is also a prequel short story Noma Girl free online, which is from Gigi's POV, but I don't think it makes a lot of sense on its own, and it is stylistically different from the novel and so doesn't really make a good intro. (But it's a good insight into Gigi and the fringe society of the Noma.)

(I have nominated Soleil, Ciel, D'Arcy, and Gigi.)

[merryghoul]

Fandom/Canon Name: Raven's Home

What's awesome about it:

It's the second spinoff following That's So Raven (the first was Cory in the House). Raven Baxter and Chelsea Daniels have married, divorced, and now have children, and have decided to move into an apartment in Chicago. Their children get into mishaps in school and in various parts of Chicago. But Raven & Chelsea get into mishaps of their own as well. The show hints at adventures Raven and Chelsea had after the end of That's So Raven but before Raven's Home. Although Raven & Chelsea aren't explicitly a couple, the show is perfect for femslashy moments. It started this year and it's still an ongoing canon, so there are few episodes to catch up with, and they're all around 30 minutes with advertisements.

A note: Although the show occasionally references things from That's So Raven, you can watch it without having seen That's So Raven or Cory in the House. Aside from Chelsea and Devon (Raven's boyfriend from That's So Raven, now her ex-husband in Raven's Home), no other characters from That's So Raven appear in Raven's Home. In addition, characters specific to Cory in the House don't appear in Raven's Home.

Where to find: At least in the US, the show is on demand (Watch Disney Channel and elsewhere) and iTunes, Amazon, the Google Store, and YouTube TV.

[skazka]

Canon: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

What's awesome about it: Picture it, Sicily, 1922 Missouri, 1881: starstruck nineteen-year-old Bob Ford seeks out his boyhood hero as the James gang prepares to undertake their final robbery, a nighttime train holdup. As a major-league Jesse James stan, this alone could easily have been the defining event of Bob's life -- but you read the title of the movie. Jesse and his wife retreat with the remaining members of the gang, living under assumed names -- intra-gang rivalries escalate to a dangerous point, and in the close quarters Bob's fascination with the ageing Jesse grows and festers as Jesse's exhaustion and paranoia bring out the less romantic qualities of a legendary outlaw.

Hero worship gone bad! Intense longing looks! Abrupt and anticlimactic gun violence! Sensual bathing! Guns! Knives! Love/hate! Hate/love! Holding your younger friend at knifepoint as a cruel joke after caressing him and stroking his hair! Murdering your mentor! Zooey Deschanel is a dance hall girl! A killer opening narration! It's a revisionist Western with a narrow focus on its foregone conclusion and beyond, concerned with fame and infamy as well as the eternal bummer of meeting your heroes.This film has an extremely pretty soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis (the Australian multi-instrumentalist, not the dude who did Transmetropolitan) and completely amazeballs cinematography by Roger Deakins. I know jack-shit about film, but this film is very, very pretty. As you may have gleaned, it's also pretty much textually romantic between Jesse and Bob, though in a pretty dysfunctional way. (I also ship the hell out of Bob and his equally-doomed brother Charley.)

Vid rec: se42's 'Serpent Charmer'

Content notes: violence including violence toward a child, animal harm (simulated killing of snakes), major character death, terminal tuberculosis, suicide, 19th century casual racism and sexism, including brief use of slurs. (Brief relative to, say, The Hateful Eight but still present -- Jesse James was a Confederate guerrilla in his youth and his family and associates share those sympathies.)

Where to find: In addition to rental/purchase on streaming services, this film is streaming on HBO GO. It's also on Australian Netflix.

[swan_tower]

The second had by far the worst gameplay, because of the whole FMV thing. The amount of dead time leading into and out of conversational clips made the entire game feel sluggish, and the amount of resources (money, computing power) they had to devote to the FMV meant that the rest of the gameplay kind of got short shrift. But the second has the best villain, and some really intense emotional stuff with Gabriel and Grace, so if you're in it for the story (as I am), it's fantastic.

The third, FWIW, has some great character development and interesting game play, but also some phenomenally annoying puzzles, and by far the weakest villain of the series.

Re: The Defiant Ones (1958 movie)

[florianschild]

This sounds so good, not in the smallest part because of how excited you are about it! You've convinced me. I'm definitely giving this one a shot.

[hellabaloo]

Fandom/Canon Name: Tumanbay

What's awesome about it: Set in a historisized fantasy realm, Tumanbay is an epic radio drama based produced by BBC Radio 4 on the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt that at its height ruled over parts of modern-day Egypt, Saudia Arabia, and the Levant up to Turkey. The empire of Tumanbay is in decline, although neither the sultan or any of his advisors are willing to face reality. Reality, however, is forced upon them, when an envoy from a queen in a former province of Tumanbay sends the head of the latest general sent to deal with her rebellion back to the Sultan.

It tells the story through multiple character POV's and the main dramatis personae of Season 1 are:

Gregor: Captain of the palace guard (officially) and chief spymaster/counterintelligence officier (unofficially). He's given the task of rooting out spies that the sultan is sure have infiltrated the court and are reporting back to Maya, the self-declared queen in Amber Province. He's always looking out for himself.

Sultan Al-Ghuri: Came to power by murdering his brother, the last sultan. Decadent and has an outsized view of Tumanbay's splendor and importance in the world, not to mention his own abilities. His real passion is making perfumes and he leaves most of the nitty-gritty of governing to Cadali, his vizier, and Gregor.

Shajar: First-wife of Al-Ghuri and former first-wife to his late brother. The most beautiful woman in Tumanbay and chiefly concerned with securing her future in the palace and her son's future as the next sultan.

Madu: Shajar's son with the last sultan. Really, he just wants to live his best life and be idly rich and bang hot guys. Shajar, concerned with sucession lines, pesters him about taking a wife, even if he otherwise spends his time with men. He is sent to the army to be "toughened up."

Sarah: A slave who is not all she appears to be. She is educated and refined and is placed by Gregor to be Shajar's lady's maid and spy on Shajar. Daniel's sister.

Daniel: Another slave who is not quite what he seems to be and is sent to the army when he's deemed "un-tameable" and too violent to be a household slave. There he meets and brefriends Madu. Sarah's brother.

Heaven: The teenage daughter of a slave-trader and merchant, Ibn Bay, Heaven's on her way to Tumanbay to be married to a business partner of her father's, against her many protests. On the shipride over, she's taken hostage by Slave to force the ship's captain to let him take a a life raft and escape. She and Slave come to an uneasy truce to survive the desert and make it to Tumanbay and her father.

Slave: Slave has sworn an oath of revenge against the man that made him a slave and refuses to use his given name until he kills that man, who he discovers is in Tumanbay. He takes Heaven hostage and expects to let her go to make her own way through the desert, but he finds himself traveling with her instead.

Other characters include: Cadali, the sultan's vizier and chief hype-man; General Qulan, Gregor's brother and the rarest thing in Tumanbay - an honest and loyal man; Manel, Qulan's daughter who is more like her father than either of them realize (although we really only get to know her in the second season). Season 2 introduces several other important characters, but since it builds directly on what happens at the end of season 1, I don't want to spoil it!

There are plot twists, red herrings, evolving relationships, and shifting allegiances - it's a radio drama that will definitely keep you on your toes!

Where to find it: The internet archive has both seasons (https://archive.org/details/TumanbayR42015), and they've just serialized in on US iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tumanbay/id1278345733?mt=2). It comes up in podcast search results but I can't access it, so it looks like it's also available on UK iTunes.

Re: The Defiant Ones (1958 movie)

[lady_ganesh]

This is SUCH A GOOD MOVIE. I'm glad you're promoting it!

[abstractconcept]

Well, after the first chapter, I'm hooked! I don't know if I'll get them all out of the way before Yuletide is done, but I sure have picked up quite a few new canons to check out!

[rmc28]

Fandom/Canon Name: Bring It On - Miranda & Kitt/Green & Miranda/Whitty

What's awesome about it: It's a cheerleader musical with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda! It's very loosely based on the film of the same name starring Eliza Dushku, in that they are both about rivalry between high-school cheerleader teams, but the characters and plot are different. The songs are catchy and witty, all about young women being ferociously athletic and competitive, and about making mistakes, and rebuilding trust. I love that the focus of the musical is the creative and competitive endeavours of the women, while the men are basically the incidental love interests.

Also worth noting that one of the supporting characters was played as trans on Broadway (although so subtly that I didn't pick it up from the cast recording alone)
https://www.out.com/entertainment/interviews/2012/08/01/gregory-haney-bring-it-musical-broadway
http://www.playbill.com/article/it-aint-no-thing-bring-it-on-the-musical-cheers-on-broadways-first-transgender-teen-character-com-196686

Where to find: The Broadway cast recording is fairly widely available, free on Spotify or (UK) Amazon Prime, or about £8 / $9 for a digital album. It's not the whole of the plot but Wikipedia fills in the gaps. I saw an amateur production locally earlier this year; there are videos of amateur productions of varying quality on YouTube.

For a free taster, there's the cast performance from the Tony Awards in 2013: https://youtu.be/KdehFSDhLOQ?t=56s or this Playbill "highlights" video: https://youtu.be/VJDfJeuY_g8

[ceb]

OMG. OMG! This is fantastic!

[aunt_zelda]

Fandom/Canon Name: Mr. Right (2015)
What's awesome about it:

You know what I love? Assassin Romantic Comedies

(There's a lot more of them than you'd think.)

Last year, one was released: Mr. Right, written by Max Landis, starring Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick! :D

But you probably never heard about it because it was marketed horribly! D:

Ok this isn't the best film ever, it wasn't exactly robbed, but it deserved much better than it got, which was almost nothing. Hence I have nominated it this year in one of my Yuletide slots. (I also nominated it last year, and other people wrote some good fics, but I wasn't matched on it so I thought I'd nominate it again.)

Anna Kendrick plays Martha, who, after a seriously nasty breakup, is feeling pretty down. She runs into a strange man one day (Sam Rockwell) who seems to match her in all her social awkwardness, spontaneity, and eccentric habits. He's her Mr. Right ... whoops, she doesn't even know his name yet.
Also whoops, she doesn't realize he's a former black ops CIA operative assassin who's now going around killing people who try to hire him, because he's got it into his head that murder is wrong, so the people trying to hire him should die. And his old partner/handler Hopper (Tim Roth) is hunting him down to try and drag him back into what appears to be some kind of super soldier program.
But Francis (Mr. Right) loves Martha, and Martha realizes she loves him back. And also, she might have a knack for this violence thing?

Sam Rockwell wears a clown nose, dances around, and kills people. Anna Kendrick catches knives out of the air and laughs in the face of mobsters holding her hostage. They have really adorable chemistry together. Tim Roth is clearly having too much fun. RZA is literally named "Shotgun Steve" in the script.

Do yourself a favor and check this movie out, it's silly and fun and it deserves more attention.

Where to find: Currently on American Netflix, and available to rent or buy on iTunes, Youtube, and Amazon.
Edit: I've been informed it's also on Canadian Netflix at the moment.

[aunt_zelda]

Fandom/Canon Name: Siberia (TV)

What's awesome about it:
How to explain Siberia. I've seen it described as "Lost meets Survivor." Initially (through most of the first episode in fact) you might think it's just a reality show about a bunch of random people surviving in the wilderness for a cash prize. However, by the end of the first episode, when one of the cast members dies, you realize that this is a scripted show using the reality show format. More deaths, strange occurrences, and eerie events pile up, the cameras rolling the whole time, the "cast" doing one-on-one interviews, some picking up faster than the others that strange things are going on. As the cast searches for answers, schemes and "plays the game," and uncover clues and mysteries.

Despite some early episode awkwardness, eventually the show finds its footing and becomes a decently scary horror show with strong performances (most from first-time stars, the cast was picked to be full of newcomers who wouldn't be recognizable to audiences), twists and turns, great use of the landscape, and surprisingly poignant moments. The characters all seem like normal people trapped in a bizarre situation, and act accordingly, some staying strong, some breaking down, some lashing out, etc. The premise is so intriguing, I'm amazed more tv shows haven't tried this format.

Now this show ends on one nasty cliffhanger. The status of the show has been in limbo for years now. If you can't stand unanswered questions, this isn't a show to get into as its fate is unknown. We get just enough answers to the major questions, such as "is this real or fake" or "what happened that night they blacked out" or "what was the thing in the woods?" or "where did that spear come from?" So you're not just left with no idea what happened at all, you have SOME answers ... but you want MORE.

Whittling down the characters was really difficult for me. Everyone is fantastic, I agonized over my choices. Eventually I chose:
Sabina - former Israeli soldier. Seems like a stoic badass at first, reveals some intense backstory later on that explains her attitude. One of the most useful and competent members of the group, the person you'd want on your side when stuck in the woods and scary stuff started happening.
Here's a gifset of her.
Daniel - a sweetie. Generally decent guy, tries his best to work together with people and help people when they get into trouble. Average Everyman, viewpoint character to several major plotlines and character reveals. Burgeoning romance with Irene.
Irene - another sweetie. Becomes one of the most useful characters when she reveals she knows archery, and helps hunt deer in the woods, impressing everyone. Wounded and damseled later on, but still an important character. Burgeoning romance with Daniel.
Sam - initially I was worried about this guy, he seemed like the gruff older white man who'd become the team leader. But he didn't. He turned out to be a complex character who was more surrogate father to the younger characters and loyal second-in-command to the stronger personalities of the group.
Here's a pic post for him.

Where to find:
1. You can buy the DVD set on amazon or stream the 11 episodes: https://www.amazon.com/Siberia/dp/B00I01PGKA
(You could also poke around less reputable sites, I've seen it around, not that I endorse such things of course.)

2. Here is the theme song, which I think is eerie and cool, and really looks like it's a reality show theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ41hEUPYr0

3. Here is the trailer, which spoils A LOT of things. If you have any interest in this show at all, I recommend just watching the show. At 11 episodes, you'll go through it pretty fast. The trailer spoils some of the twists, but here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfgZqTr_hOA

4. Here are some gifsets of the show's cinematography: http://ksniasolo.tumblr.com/post/87480077857
http://ksniasolo.tumblr.com/post/78077581298
http://ksniasolo.tumblr.com/post/87756791522

[airgiodslv.livejournal.com]

Fandom/Canon Name: The Bone Palace (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7822865-the-bone-palace), by Amanda Downum

What's awesome about it: It's a gorgeous, emotional, mystery-adventure novel featuring three characters with complicated intertwining relationships. There are amazing, strong, well-developed female protagonists, one of whom is transgender. There is also a polyamorous relationship, and explorations of sexuality, gender, and monogamy. This book has some of the most amazing fictional women I've ever read, and there is so much room at the end of this book for their story to continue.

There is an excellent article here by Brit Mandelo which goes into more detail about the characters and themes: Queering SFF: The Bone Palace by Amanda Downum (https://www.tor.com/2011/01/10/queering-sff-the-bone-palace-by-amanda-downum/)

There's also a fan letter here, far more eloquent than I, by Jia: REVIEW: The Bone Palace by Amanda Downum (http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/overall-b-reviews/b-reviews/review-the-bone-palace-by-amanda-downum/)

This book is technically the second in a series, but it is a standalone novel, no prior knowledge required.

Where to find: Public libraries, Barnes & Noble (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bone-palace-amanda-downum/1100259253?ean=9780316069007), Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Bone-Palace-Necromancer-Chronicles/dp/0316069000/)

[airgiodslv.livejournal.com]

Fandom/Canon Name: Fastlane

What's awesome about it: Okay, so my last recommendation was all, "Transgender characters! Women of color in power! Functional polyamory!" This one is...100% cracktastic guilty pleasure.

Please allow me to introduce you to the team, via this incredible fanvid: 3 by Talitha78 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBeAesqcSwQ)

Fastlane is about two police officers (Peter Facinelli and Bill Bellamy) in an experimental program that essentially has them living undercover 24/7 as glamorous high-profile criminals, under the direction of their tough-love boss (Tiffani Thiessen). Their relationships are characterized by snark, trust, and competence, which is like, all of my kinks underneath the same umbrella.

The show is beauuuutiful, filled with shiny cars and gorgeous beaches and half-naked people, and has an over-the-top humor that I find utterly charming. The officers are constantly getting themselves into scrapes and having to pull each other out of them.

To illustrate the cracky fun, here are some things that actually happen on the show:
- The male police officers have to pretend to be lovers
- The amazing lady boss seduces a lady criminal
- All three of them end up undercover at the same porn screen test by accident

The lady-in-charge is heavily implied to be either lesbian or bisexual, but the officers never work up the nerve to ask, so she never says. There is only one season, so the show is quick to marathon, and so, so worth it.

Where to find: Amazon Video (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001D28XBM)

[alessandriana]

I'm so glad so many people are in for this! I thought I was going to be a fandom of one. :D

[fenellaevangela]

I bought this book years ago, and you know what, I think I still have it on my shelf . . . Maybe I'll reread it!

[alessandriana]

Woo! Mission accomplished. :D

[alessandriana]

Well, this one's not a long one! (~join us~) :D

Re: The Ramsay Scallop - Frances Temple

[eccentric_hat]

I love this book, and I never thought of nominating it! Thank you for reminding me of it.

Re: The Ramsay Scallop - Frances Temple

[ar]

I've never met anyone else who's read it! Oh, this is an exciting moment. ♥

[karmageddon]

It repays rereading as adult :-) :-)